A veteran NHL player is now a married man. According to PEOPLE, Sam Reinhart of the Florida Panthers tied the knot with his wife Jessica Reinhart at the Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Santa Susana, California on July 7. There were 150 people in attendance and was officiated by Samson Reinhart’s childhood best friend, David Begert.
“California has always held a special place in our hearts,” Jessica told PEOPLE. “We spend a lot of time in Palm Springs and Hummingbird Nest really emulates that picturesque mountain scape we were looking for.” Jessica went on to say the entire day will be something she and Reinhart will always remember.
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“The wedding was just breathtaking, it was romantic and timeless, really beyond everything we could’ve imagined,” she said. “There is such a build-up of emotion leading up to the day, we truly can’t thank our planner and all of our vendors enough for making it so seamless and fun! We wish we could do it all over again!
“Apart from marrying each other, the most important thing to us was for everyone to have a great time celebrating love! We wanted a fun party with good music and dancing and I think we achieved that,” she says adding, “When our eyes met there was a feeling of such calm, and pure happiness. Something we will never forget!”
The couple began dating in March 2020 after meeting for the first time in January. Reinhart and Jessica then got engaged on Dec. 24, 2021. “To us, marriage means choosing your teammate, your life partner and best friend,” Jessica said. “Getting married in front of all of our loved ones just solidifies that commitment to each other and joins our two separate lives to one.”
Reinhart was selected No. 2 overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2014 NHL Draft. He appeared in nine games during his rookie season before being with the team on a full-time basis the following year. Reinhart would spend the next five seasons in Buffalo before he was traded to the Panthers in July 2021. In August of that year, Reinhart signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract with the Panthers and helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Finals last month. During the 2022-23 season, Reinhart scored 31 goals with 36 assists.